Intuition is something we all have and that we all use, but it’s not necessarily something we are conscious of, or recognize when it’s in play. Intuition is easily mislabeled; fear, ego, want, or the mind can jump in and convince us that the urge is one of pure information, and intuitive insight, rather than the biased wish, thought, or frightened assumption it really is. How do we recognize real intuition when it arrives? Here are some points that help sort the intuitive inspiration from everything else:

Intuition is instantaneous We don’t gradually come to an intuitive insight, nor do we cogitate our way there; it’s like a little ‘ping’ inside us that is not centralized in the mentality but fills the awareness.

Synchronicity signals These needn’t be related directly to the intuitive insight; instead, synchronicities act as a signal that we are traveling along the Path with our senses ‘wide open’, and thus that we are open to those connections, leaps of logic, and ‘right assumptions’ we must make spurred by the intuitive insight.

Not willed, but allowed Intuition doesn’t appear on command–we can’t will ourselves to have an intuitive insight, and we can’t plan ahead for one. We can allow them to happen–but that involves paying attention every time they do–and too often we will judge them, then push them aside with one rationale or another (“But I’m already committed to ‘x’, I can’t change now!” “Everyone will laugh at me if I bring this up” “That contradicts the way things seem to be!”) We must honor and follow the intuitive prompts we are offered–don’t, and the well goes dry–or at least narrows to a trickle.

Intuition comes whole By that I mean it arrives in the awareness all of a piece, not straggling in bit by bit. However, this is no guarantee that an intuition will hand you what you consider a complete answer or detailed Path. It’s not uncommon to be given a ‘next step’ with no idea of where it will lead, or proof that it’s ‘right’–that’s where our own trust in the Universe comes in, with trust in the Cosmos tantamount to trust in our intuition.

Intuition refrains from bias Even though an intuition can be highly definitive, pointing very strongly to one point of action or attitude, it does not carry heavy condemnation of other potentials. If we find ourselves wallowing in how bad the varied possibilities except for the one we’ve chosen, then we are likely involved in some sort of ego-persuasive reasoning, not intuition. Intuition gives a ‘clean’ perception that does not waste energy denigrating other options. Period.

Intuition does not spur fantasy In fact, intuition removes a great deal of the impetus to extrapolate–after we receive and act on a true intuition, we are likely to be in a continued state of openness, one that accepts all possibilities and waits for some indication of what’s to come, rather than pushing forward into a state of ‘I want’.

Intuition rarely presents as words/ a thought Those who have strong influences from Venus, Neptune, Cancer, or Pisces in the natal chart will know what I’m talking about, while those with a lot of Air or Earth may not be so quick to understand: typically something that presents in words/ a thought is an idea, not an intuition. Remember how I said it comes into the awareness whole and immediate? We may then translate that into words and thought–but if it starts that way, it’s more likely the mind, putting in its two cents–that’s not bad, it’s just not intuition 

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1 thought on “What Is Intuition?”

this is lovely and of course helpful! i’ve been pondering all this of late- have you read The Moment of Astrology by Geoffrey Cornelius? academic approach, yes, but some interesting ideas about how astrology and intuition actually connect. XO

Thank you, boo, and especially, thank you for the suggestion. I haven’t read that (at least I think I haven’t, though it sounds familiar–if I did it was more than 30 years ago–so time to review!) xoxo